BUSINESS LETTER WRITING 1.6

BUSINESS LETTER WRITING 1.6

E. Job Interview 'Thank You' Letters 

You should write a thank you letter as soon as possible (within 24 hours is recommended) after the job interview, at a minimum this should be done through email but is recommended that you do this through a hard-copy of a letter printed from your computer and mailed through the postal service. A hard-copy thank you letter should be written in the business letter format, while an email should be sent in the same format but without the heading (your return address, their address, and the date).

Thank you letter writing tips:
1. The first paragraph should consist of thanking the interviewer for the interviewing you (remind him/her about the position you interviewed for and the date of your interview). You can also include information about your impressions about the company.

2. The second paragraph should state your interests in the company and include any additional information about yourself that was not brought up in the interview which would make you a good candidate for the position. You can also emphasize your qualifications that were already discussed during the interview (don't make this paragraph too long, try to keep it between 3-5 sentences, pick the traits that you think were most important to the interviewer and emphasize them).

3. The last paragraph should let the recruiter know that you expect to hear from them soon. Also let them know that you are available to come in again and are willing to discuss the job further. Write down your contact information again and what the best method and/or time to contact you is. To finish up the letter, thank them again for the interview.

Why ‘Thank You’ Letter ?

a. A thank you letter shows that you have good business etiquette, your interest in the company and the position, and reiterates your positive qualifications to the interviewer so it should not be put off.

b. If there was more than one interviewer; write individual thank you letters to each of the interviewers (make sure each letter is unique). If it was a panel of interviewers interviewing you at the same time, you can send out one letter and address it to the head interviewer and the interview panel and thank them as one group.

c. If you forget the spelling or the names of the interviewers, simply call the company and request the proper spelling and title.

d. Keep the thank you letter brief; make sure the letter does not get too long.

e. Check for proper grammar usage and spelling.

 [to be continued...]